The present invention relates generally to multi-purpose computer systems and in particular to a method and system of user interface for a full function computer centered, for example, in a users living room for use as a home theater and entertainment environment and an education and information resource, including home banking.
The consumer electronics industry has created various types of Internet set-top boxes which provide a method and system for the single function of Internet access through a consumers television set. However, such systems do not provide a method and system for user interface with a full function computer centered, for example, in the consumer""s living room for use as a home theater, entertainment, education, information, and home banking personal computer.
There is a present need for a method and system for user interface with a full function computer for use as a home theater, entertainment, education, information, and home banking personal computer which is designed to optimize for television display, that is easy to use from a remote location, and which does not require the user to have any previous experience with personal computers.
It is a feature and advantage of the present invention to provide a method and system of user interface with a full function computer for use as a home theater, entertainment, education, information, and home banking personal computer.
It is a further feature and advantage of the present invention to provide a method and system of user interface with a full function computer as a home theater, entertainment, education and information, and home banking environment which is designed to optimize for television display.
It is an additional feature and advantage of the present invention to provide a method and system of living room interface with a full function computer as a home theater and entertainment environment and education and information resource, including home banking, which is easy for the user to use, for example, when away from the living room.
It is another feature and advantage of the present invention to provide a method and system of user interface with a full function computer as a home theater, entertainment, education, information, and home banking personal computer, which does not require the user to have any previous experience using a personal computer.
To achieve the stated and other features, advantages and objects of the present invention, an embodiment of the invention provides a method and system of user interface for a computer which automatically displays a screen for a control center application folder that represents a plurality of bundled applications for the computer upon receiving a selection for the control center application folder. The system receives a selection for at least one of the applications represented by the control center application folder and automatically displays a screen for a plurality of functions for the selected application. Upon receiving a selection for at least one of the application functions, the system automatically implements the application function. The selection of the screen for the control center application folder is made from a menu screen which automatically displays a plurality of folders for the computer system, including the control center application folder. The process of receiving all selection involves a user entering the selection at the computer in response to an automatic prompt by the system. The screen that is displayed for the control center application folder is one of a plurality of such screens. The user can enter a selection for one of the alternate screens, and upon receiving the selection of an alternate screen, the system automatically displays an alternate screen for the control center application folder.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the screen for the control center application folder includes a display, for example, of a living room with one or more automatically displayed graphical components such as a graphical video component, a graphical telephone component, a graphical TV component, and a graphical stereo component. The screen for the control center application folder also includes a display of various buttons, such as a home banking application folder button and a games folder button, as well as buttons for other folders. The graphical video component, for example, consists of an automatically displayed icon representing a video disk player application and includes an icon representing one or more video disk player application functions, such as a video CD function, a karaoke CD function, a movie function, and a DVD function.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the graphical telephone component consists of an icon representing a smart telephone application and includes an icon representing one or more smart telephone application functions, such as a dial function, a talk function, a caller ID function, a last number redial function, and a speed dial function. The graphical TV component consists of an icon representing a two-way video phone application and includes an icon representing one or more two-way video phone application functions, such as a camera function, a dial function, a talk function, a caller ID function, a last number redial function, and a speed dial function. The graphical stereo component consists of an icon representing a music CD application and includes an icon representing one or more music CD application functions, such as a music CD player and an audio equalizer.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the process of receiving the selection for one or more of the applications involves the user entering a selection at the computer for at least one of the applications in response to an automatic prompt by the system to enter a selection. In response to the prompt, the user can enter the selection for one or more of the applications, including for example, the video disk player application, the smart telephone application, the two-way video phone application, the music CD application, and the home banking application. The home banking application is, for example, the home banking application for a pre-selected financial institution or bank.
In an embodiment of the present invention, upon receipt of a selection, the system automatically displays a screen with a plurality of control functions for the selected application. The screen representing the plurality of control functions includes one or more automatically displayed icons for one or more control functions for the selected application. Automatically displayed icons for the video disk player application control functions include, for example, a screen mode control, a volume control, a forward control, a reverse control, a freeze picture control, a pause control, a disk ejecting control, and a power control. The icons automatically displayed for the smart telephone application control functions include, for example, a talk control, a dial control, and a power control. The icons that are automatically displayed for the two-way video phone application control function include, for example, a talk control, a dial control, a video transmit control, and a power control. The automatically displayed icons for the music CD player application functions include, for example, a volume control and a power control.
In an embodiment of the present invention, receiving the selection for one or more application functions involves entering the selection by the user at the computer in response to an automatic prompt by the system. In response to the prompt, the user enters a selection for one or more of the application functions. For example, in response to the prompt, the user enters a selection, one or more of the functions for the video disk player application, the smart telephone application, the two-way video phone application, the music CD application, and the browser function for the home banking application, which is pre-programmed, for example, for the home banking application of the pre-selected financial institution or bank.
In an embodiment of the present invention, automatically implementing the selected application function involves the system automatically implementing one or more application functions of the video disk player application, the smart telephone application, the two-way video phone application, the music CD application, and the home banking application. The browser function of the home banking application is pre-programmed with the website of the pre-selected financial institution or bank as the home page of the system, and the browser function automatically initiates communication with the pre-selected financial institution, for example, over the Internet or other computer network.
An embodiment of the present invention provides a system which makes use of one or more application programs running on the user""s computer, such as the user""s PC, which automatically prompts the user to enter the various selections. The system receives the user""s selection for the control center application center folder, which represents a plurality of bundled applications, and automatically displays the screen for the control center application folder. The system receives the user""s selection for one or more of the plurality of bundled applications, and automatically displays a screen representing the various functions of the selected application or applications. The system receives the user""s selection of one or more of the application functions and automatically implements the selected function or functions.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become more apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of the invention.